20th Century Solonese Keris

[Marcokeris]

David you are right about handles western - taste but Ganja's keris is beautiful even if I see a little western taste in the innovation (the birds could be from some first Disney' movie and, even if they are not been made like a deity they are full of beauty and sense). So i can see a good innovation in this keris!
On the contrary in a western taste handle i have never found innovation but, even if the work is beautiful, a "tuneless thing"

Alan, anyway your handles (old or new) are "classic". The feeling is good!!
I don't like modern handle (even if with the best work ofthe world) with classic pattern like: madura bali-style handle with two-three-four... sides with different faces of a deity; or strange dragons, or strange snakes ,or a "babel" of deities all together... and so on

[A. G. Maisey]

Yes, I understand what you are saying Marco.

However.

Many of these new pattern handles are not intended to be used as keris handles. They are created expressly for the handle collector market as minor works of art, which of course, they are.

The collection of handles is a legitimate branch of keris art collecting. Even PBX was into it, and commissioned small sculptures in the form of keris handles, which were never intended for fitting to a keris, but as works of art in their own right.

There is a wide range of small sculptures in the form of keris handles, as well as all levels of quality of handles intended for use with keris, and although you identify "western taste" as a design factor, I am afraid that I cannot isolate any of these handles as being able to be classified as "western taste". Possibly some of the more pornographic of these small sculptures might not be very welcome in public in Jawa, but in other parts of Indonesia , Indonesians will get a laugh out of them, just as will a tourist from New York or Sydney.

We sometimes tend to forget that much of the art that we now view as Javanese, or Balinese, or whatever, is derived from the artistic traditions of other cultures.

Of course, there can be well executed art, and poorly executed art, and to confuse matters even more, we all have differing tastes.

[Raden Usman Djogja]

Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey

We sometimes tend to forget that much of the art that we now view as Javanese, or Balinese, or whatever, is derived from the artistic traditions of other cultures.

Alan,

I agree.
Based on Pramoedya's research, the designer of uniforms (blangkon etc, epsecially for king, princes and other royal family members) which are, now, claimed as one of Javanese identities were Dutches.
Only mixed tradition/culture exists.

[A. G. Maisey]

Yes Raden, there was Dutch input, but there was also Portugese, Middle Eastern, Indian, Chinese. The examples are many. The great characteristic of (particularly) Javanese culture has been its ability to take something from outside that culture, and turn it into something Javanese.

[Marcokeris]

Alan i agree! you have shooted the center (sorry for my english!)
This is the reason for which i dont like modern handles : i dont see indonesian cuture